Taxonomic position
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Superorder: Crocodylomorpha
Order: Crocodylia
Superfamily: Crocodyloidea
Family: Crocodylidae
Habitat:
Member species of the family Crocodylidae are large
aquatic reptiles
that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Crocodiles tend to
congregate in freshwater habitats like rivers, lakes, wetlands and sometimes in
brackish water. They feed mostly on vertebrates like fish,
reptiles, and mammals,
sometimes on invertebrates like molluscs
and crustaceans,
depending on species. They first appeared of about 55 million years ago.
Biological and Ecological importance:
Crocodiles are ambush hunters, waiting for fish or land
animals to come close, then rushing out to attack. As cold-blooded predators,
they have a very slow metabolism, and thus can survive long periods without food.
Despite their appearance of being slow, crocodiles are top predators in their
environment, and various species have been observed attacking and killing sharks. Crocodiles eat
fish, birds, mammals and occasionally smaller crocodiles.
Economic importance:
Crocodiles are protected in many parts of the world, but
they also are farmed commercially. Their hide is tanned and used to make
leather goods such as shoes and handbags, whilst crocodile meat is also considered a delicacy.
The most commonly farmed species are the Saltwater and Nile
crocodiles, while a hybrid of the Saltwater and the rare Siamese
Crocodile is also bred in Asian farms. Farming has resulted in an
increase in the Saltwater crocodile population in Australia,
as eggs are usually harvested from the wild, so landowners have an incentive to
conserve crocodile habitat.
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